Today's News

On June 18, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board sent a letter to the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Los Alamos National Laboratory, concerning the Plutonium Facility.

The letter laid out DNFSB concerns with identified deficiencies in Revision 1 of the 2011 Documented Safety Analysis for the Plutonium Facility. The Board requested a report and briefing within 30 days addressing the deficiencies.

The gentle Santa Clara Creek, which sparks fond memories of fishing and picnicking for tribal members and area residents alike, now runs gray with ash and silt.

Instead of meandering through meadows and forested banks, the creek makes its way through a tortured landscape of huge boulders and piles of massive tree trunks deposited by recent floodwaters. Erosion has transformed low water crossings into six-foot deep channels.

According to an email acquired by the Los Alamos Monitor, there could be even more cutbacks at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Serving Our Country (SOC), which provides security to LANL, will possibly eliminate 31 positions in a restructuring that is still under negotiations. The email indicated that SOC was pursuing voluntary separation packages for the lost positions.

Lab spokesman Fred DeSousa said the proposed cuts are not part of the 80 contractor positions cut by LANL last month.
He referred inquiries to SOC spokesperson Liddie Martinez, who was traveling to Washington D.C. and unavailable for comment.

Despite the damper of dry weather and fireworks show cancellation, the 2012 Fourth of July Celebration at Overlook Park was a great success. After a few months of dangerous drought, the big rain was welcome.
Though we canceled the festivities earlier than planned, the fun picnic setting, yummy food, wonderful music and very cool skydiving display by the Habanero Skydiving club made for a great afternoon and evening.
We missed the fireworks, but we still celebrate living in the United States of America — the very best country in the world to be from.

As part of the downtown Friday night activities in Los Alamos, Terry Foxx and her granddaughter Rose Carlisi will sing and tell stories at the Romero Cabin from 6-7:30 p.m. Friday.
The program is called, “A Quilt of Stories.” Stories, legends, myths and songs come from all cultures. As pieces of fabric can make a quilt, fragments of history, when stitched together, can make a mosaic that helps people understand past and present.
Sitting in front of the Romero Cabin, Foxx and Carlisi will explore some of the history of the old West, interwoven with history of the Pajarito Plateau and area.

Today
This month’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. in Building #1, Camino Entrada, Pajarito Cliffs Site. For more information, call 661-4097.
Thursday
The White Rock Family Friendly Film Series presents, “Herbie Fully Loaded,” at 7 p.m. at the White Rock Town Hall.

The Democratic Party of Los Alamos will have their monthly meeting 7 p.m. at Mesa Public Library. They will discuss upcoming events, a visit from Congressman Martin Heinrich, democratic candidate for U.S. senator.
Friday

The sudden appearance of drying needles, dead branches, or even dead Ponderosa Pine trees can alarm anyone, especially homeowners. Damage occurs throughout New Mexico where Ponderosa Pine is found growing, but is most severe in the urban setting, on the fringe of forested areas, and on shallow, rocky, or droughty soil types.
That describes Los Alamos to a tee. Trees growing near roads or in areas of soil disturbance or abundant competing vegetation are most frequently affected. According to Danny Norlander, New Mexico State Forestry Forest Health Specialist, there has been an uptick in Ponderosa Pine tree mortality in southern area forests and in isolated pockets in Northern New Mexico over the last two years but the problem is not widespread.

There are many reasons to oppose the governor’s plan for teacher evaluation: The tests used are unreliable; the states where similar “reforms” have been implemented have not seen success; huge sums of money have been diverted from schools to publishing companies; curriculum narrows to only those things measured and measurable on a standardized test. The list is long. For teachers, one of the most devastating consequences of over-reliance on test scores is the impact on their relationship with their students.